'I can sense the hurt': Mookie Betts, David Price give World Series hope to Dodgers team hungry for a title

PHOENIX — Mookie Betts flits in and out of the Los Angeles Dodgers' spring training clubhouse, a former MVP in constant motion displaying some of the speed that makes him such a threat on the basepaths.

On the other side of the clubhouse, David Price shares some of the wisdom accumulated over a 12-year career highlighted by a Cy Young Award and five All-Star Game nods.

The two newcomers to Los Angeles, acquired in a trade with the Boston Red Sox that was completed last week after fits and starts, are regarded as the final pieces of a championship puzzle that has gone unsolved for more than three decades despite close calls.

Their value to the Dodgers may transcend their playing abilities, which are considerable. Betts is one of the game’s most dynamic players, a force at the plate and in the field as a four-time Gold Glove right fielder. Price, a former ace who won 16 games in 2018, is expected to fill a spot in the middle of a rotation featuring Clayton Kershaw and budding ace Walker Buehler.

And yet, when asked about Betts’ potential impact as a catalyst at the top of the lineup, power-hitting infielder Max Muncy underscored his championship pedigree as a vital factor.

“On top of an MVP-caliber player, you’re adding a guy who knows how to win,’’ Muncy said. “He’s won a World Series. He knows what it takes to do it, and we need that in the clubhouse. When you bring him in and David, that’s two guys who have been there.’’

Indeed, as recently as October 2018, when the Red Sox bounced out Los Angeles in five games for their fourth championship since 2004.

That represented the second year in a row the Dodgers came up short in the World Series, after the Astros edged them out in seven games in 2017.

That title has now been tainted by revelations confirmed in an MLB investigation that the Astros used an electronic sign-stealing scheme during the season. Several Dodgers players have voiced their outrage with the stratagem and with the league’s handling of the scandal, none of which relieves the pain of the loss.

“I definitely feel for my new teammates. I can sense that hurt,’’ Price said. “These guys have played really good baseball the past couple of years and they’re always knocking on that door. I want them to experience the feeling I felt after the (final) game. I can’t even put it into words. It’s something you have to experience for yourself, and you’ll cherish that moment for the rest of your life.’’

Price played a major role in Boston’s championship run, pitching to a 1.98 ERA in three World Series games and winning two, including the finale. He slumped to a 7-5 record with a 4.28 ERA in 22 starts last season as he battled a cyst in his left wrist that hampered the feeling in his hand.

The cyst was surgically removed in September, but before Price bounces back to becomes a factor for his new club, he and Betts might be faced with an uncomfortable situation.

The 2018 Red Sox were managed by Alex Cora – one of the ringleaders of the Astros’ rule-breaking tactics as their bench coach in 2017 – and that Boston club is now under an MLB investigation whose results are expected to be unveiled late next week.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he won’t entertain the notion of what incriminating revelations from that inquiry could do to his team until the results come out, but Price sounded confident no major issues will be uncovered.

“I feel like I’m in the know with the Red Sox and what was going on, and I honestly do not think anything will come of that,’’ Price said, pointing to comments by J.D. Martinez and other Boston position players as supporting evidence.

Betts, who has also said Boston’s victory was legitimate, never envisioned himself living in California and was glad his friend Price came along with him. They’re seven years apart in age – Price is 34, Betts 27 – but both hail from the Nashville area and live a 10-minute drive from each other in that city.

As a free agent after the 2020 season, Betts could wind up as a one-year rental, but still worth the price of the trade (up-and-coming outfielder Alex Verdugo and two prospects) if he can help deliver the Dodgers’ first championship since 1988.

No wonder Dodgers president Andrew Friedman pursued the four-time All-Star with borderline Captain Ahab obsession. Los Angeles has won the NL West each of last seven seasons and is expected to breeze again to a division title that no longer feels satisfying.

The low-key Betts won’t parade around showing off his championship ring, but he’s willing to share tidbits that might aid his teammates in the title chase.

“If I can give a little insight or whatever to help, I will,’’ Betts said. “Some of it is just getting hot. There’s no magic formula to winning a World Series. It’s just being hot, being in the right place at the right time and playing well.’’

With Betts and Price on board, the Dodgers have significantly enhanced those chances.